August 5, 2009 Play Date
August 6, 2009 at 6:23 am 2 comments
Atypical of our regular get-togethers, seven of us signed up for a one-day Elder Hostel program on the Princeton University campus. The schedule was jam-packed with activities to nourish and expand our minds — a deep immersion in serious seriousity that was a welcome respite from all our fun and games.
Here we are arriving for our first event of the day:
The morning was devoted to seminars led by the world’s leading authorities on subjects dear to our hearts (e.g., masonry, double entendres, federal/state relations, and facial hair.) Of all the experts who spoke, Dr. Opus looked the most professorial as she expounded on construction techniques used in the Tower of Babel:
Dr. Clearwoman explains that the bisexual nature of relations between the states and federal government is enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment:
Dr. Goldsmythe guided us through history’s changing attitudes about facial hair beginning with Cro-Magnon man. Two hours into his talk, his appearance suddenly changed:
(Whether this reflected embarrassment at having croissant crumbs in his mustache or was demonstrating the latest trend in facial decor, we couldn’t tell.)
After lunch we were bussed to the Sarnoff Labs where we got to experiment with the newest technology in social networking:
From there, it was only a hop, skip, and a jump to the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, one of only two sites on the planet with a black hole that is open to the public (but only for a few minutes, as one can well imagine, because of the danger):
Sharon, one of our newest members, operates one of the atomic yo-yos on display deep inside the black hole:
By late afternoon, our minds were fried and our bodies cried out for exercise. In keeping with the spirit of the day, we were introduced to an exciting new sport that combines elements of soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and basketball with the most advanced technological materials. This video, which is approximately 4 seconds long, shows the game in its entirety: anything longer would test the bounds of human endurance.
Making sure both legs are still functional after the final whistle:
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: Affaffa, black holes, Elder Hostel, Play On, Princeton NJ, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, Princeton University, Sarnoff Labs, social networking.
1.
Vonne | August 17, 2009 at 3:06 am
If all goes according to “no plans,” even fewer hostel elders will show up for even fewer “no fun events” in the Princeton area.
Efforts are now in the works for a truly “serious meeting on the merits of non-seriousness.” Minutes of that meeting will be posted on this site — and may contain serious language on the benefits of non-serious meetings — or: when play is serious, and meetings are play!
2.
Vonne | August 17, 2009 at 3:21 am
Apologies to Sharon for mis-naming her as Shannon [since corrected, ed]. Google tells us that the meaning of the name Sharon is Biblical–fertile plain. There is no doubt that Sharon’s creativity was likened to a “fertile plain of spinning light, deep within the banks of the Dark River…whose plain was overflowing with light..
to be continued…………………………………